Totally disagree with the pick of Watt, no matter how great his 2012 season was. That's just a single season, and he's only been on the team and in the league for 2 years.

He's been on the team for 2 out of 11 years, not coincidentally the only two resulting in playoff berths and division titles - it's all relative. Additionally, while 2012 was the year that was arguably the greatest of all time for a DL, the interception returned for a TD in the first Cincy wildcard game may very well be the most significant single play in the team's short history.

__________________
Being a D-bag and being factually correct are not in any way mutually exclusive!

Certifiable locks
Andre is no brainer. The best of the early era and possibly the first HOF player. Has been doing it at a high level for a long time.

Not a certifiable lock but a near certainity
Watt should have been a lock. While he has only played 2 seasons, one of those seasons was one of the greatest of all time for a DL. Anytime you do anything on that level, especially for such a young franchise, you get in.

McNair. He brought the game back to Houston, hosted 1 superbowl, and has gotten another. He is the consummate professional and whenever people talk about him they talk about him in a positive manner. He has done a great job promoting the brand. More over he realizes his own deficits. He is not a Jerry Jones type who thinks he knows more than others. He learns and goes forward. One of the better group of owners in the league.

Consideration

At this point there are several people who could have made it and definitely deserve consideration.

My choice would have been Aaron Glenn. He may still be the best CB this team has ever had. While Joseph is good, Glenn was a multitime probowler who managed to stay healthy. He was the team's first Probowler and was arguably the best player on Defense. On a team where there have been few probowlers in total, the guy who did it first deserves serious consideration.

Other possibilities:
1. Arian Foster: dynamic RB and good person. Helped change the culture of losing.

2. Duane Brown: one of the best OL in the league. Protects Schaub's back and help create running holes for Foster.

3. Matt Schaub. I may get some flack for this, but he changed the culture. Infinitely better than Carr, Schaub has had 1 losing season, 2 .500 seasons, and a couple of winning seasons in his tenor in Htown. Carr never had a winning season in his time here or in Carolina. In a QB driven league, the best QB your team has ever had deserves consideration.

4. Chester Pitts. The stallwarth of the early OL. While there were numerous experiments with the likes of Wand and others, Pitts went out and played the OL. He was great at OT and OG. He played 3 or 4 of the OL positions well. On a team devoid of real stars, he was certainly one of them.

It was also arguably the greatest season a DL has ever had. If you put up a season that ranks in the greatest of all time category you get onto the Mount Rushmore list.

But it was just one season. Watt most likely won't have a "statistical" season this year anything like the past year, and much of that of course will be because teams will be game-planning for him in a way they haven't done up until now. But I'm in the minority here, because even my own wife (also a huge Texans fan)
has Watt in her group.
My own choices: Bob McNair, Andre Johnson, Demeco Ryans, Matt Schaub.

McNair. He brought the game back to Houston, hosted 1 superbowl, and has gotten another. He is the consummate professional and whenever people talk about him they talk about him in a positive manner. He has done a great job promoting the brand. More over he realizes his own deficits. He is not a Jerry Jones type who thinks he knows more than others. He learns and goes forward. One of the better group of owners in the league.

I think people really underestimate the SB deal. McNair also became one of the most influential owners very quickly.

Quote:

Consideration

At this point there are several people who could have made it and definitely deserve consideration.

My choice would have been Aaron Glenn. He may still be the best CB this team has ever had. While Joseph is good, Glenn was a multitime probowler who managed to stay healthy. He was the team's first Probowler and was arguably the best player on Defense. On a team where there have been few probowlers in total, the guy who did it first deserves serious consideration.

I still don't get Florio limiting the candidates for the Texans. People should have been able to vote for Glenn. Now the flipside of that is it goes against the anti-Watt argument as Glenn was only here for 3 years.

Glenn was technically tied for first probowler. Gary Walker went in 2002 as well.

It was also arguably the greatest season a DL has ever had. If you put up a season that ranks in the greatest of all time category you get onto the Mount Rushmore list.

Particularly true on a team that's only got a decade's worth of players to choose from with the majority of the first half of that being guys who never made much of an impact anywhere. 2 years like Watt has had easily puts him on the Texans Mt. Rushmore. Easily.

I don't have a problem with that choice but I think Florio is wrong in saying Cushing has never been the same since his suspension. I think that is just ignorant.

Completely concur - and more credibly and objectively, so does the AP, who named Cushing 2nd team All Pro for the 2011 season.

I will add that due to the express criteria that coaches, front office personnel and owners were expressly to be included in those considered, I believe McNair to be almost as much of a no-brainer as AJ.

__________________
Being a D-bag and being factually correct are not in any way mutually exclusive!

But it was just one season. Watt most likely won't have a "statistical" season this year anything like the past year, and much of that of course will be because teams will be game-planning for him in a way they haven't done up until now. But I'm in the minority here, because even my own wife (also a huge Texans fan)
has Watt in her group.
My own choices: Bob McNair, Andre Johnson, Demeco Ryans, Matt Schaub.

You dont think teams gameplanned for Watt by atleast the halfway point last year. He is this era's Reggie White. C'mon Tenn. drafted Warmack just for Watt, like we took Mario for Peyton and look how that played out.

It was also arguably the greatest season a DL has ever had. If you put up a season that ranks in the greatest of all time category you get onto the Mount Rushmore list.

ive stopped using the 'arguably' part myself. i used it just after the season but after looking at it, JJ's season was historic in every single category. he didnt get the strahan sack record but when you factor in his tfl's, passes deflected etc it was UNARGUABLY the greatest overall season by a defensive player in nfl history

You dont think teams gameplanned for Watt by atleast the halfway point last year. He is this era's Reggie White. C'mon Tenn. drafted Warmack just for Watt, like we took Mario for Peyton and look how that played out.

The Titans probably drafted offensive lineman Warmack for the same resaon the Houston Oilers did it with their first-round picks multiple years back in the day - used it on top OLinemen like the Titans current HC & OLine coach and they would have done the same thing whether or not the Texans had Watt just as the Texans wisely took Mario because they viewed him as the top prospect in that draft, not because of Manning.